gently reminding him that this was neither the time nor the place to show his displeasure. Again, Kiva felt a grudging respect for the head of House Chimaera. A powerful kalku in his own right, Uchenna had a strong house behind him, a powerful ally sitting literally right next to him, as well as all the other grogstack who saw him as a friend to their people. Odette, Kiva thought, you chose well when you selected Uchenna as your husband. Both of the heads of House Chimaera would bear continued scrutiny in the future. Octolaides in general were devious creatures, but add in the fact that both Uchenna and Odette were powerful practitioners of the darker aspects of Merwin sorcery as well as had strong political aspirations, and it created a dangerous amalgamation. Or powerful, albeit perilous, allies. Kiva’s mind wandered as she attempted to figure out ways to use the octolaide to her advantage.
“So it is unanimous,” Iago said, his voice betraying a tremor of anxiousness, but still remarkably steady given the recent assassination of his wife. The ethyrie rose, his soft iridescent pink hair undulating with the motion.
The newly installed regent’s proclamation brought Kiva out of her labyrinthine musings. Well, of course it is, you dolt, she thought. Anyone who voted against it would have immediately looked like a traitor at best and the assassin at worst. Kiva did not hold much confidence that Iago would sit on the throne for long. His grasp of politics was abysmal and, while the Coral Assembly had voted unanimously to install him as regent, the faera knew that it was simply a method to buy time and keep the plebian populous content while they figured out who was actually going to wear the Fangs.
“As tradition dictates,” Iago said, his words trembling at first but gaining strength, “there will be a mourning period of five days, after which the Coral Assembly will meet again to decide the future of Mervidia’s throne.” Despite being a fully grown merwin, the male ethyrie looked exceptionally young in that moment, eagerness all too apparent in his greedy smile. Iago had been groomed from birth to be consort. Sadly though, he really was too soft to be the one to hold tight the reigns of the mighty beast that was Mervidia.
Poor Iago, Kiva thought. There really is a part of you that thinks you will be crowned, is there not? It was all the faera could do to keep a look of pity off her face.
The regent continued , “Arrangements have already been put in motion for Queen Beryl’s funeral proceedings.” Iago’s voice caught, predictably, at the mention of his dead wife’s name, but he flushed his gills and persisted. “The Queen’s body will be moved, with all honors rightly hers, from the Royal Palace to King’s Reef, where she will be interred with her predecessors, the Kings of Mervidia. A space is already being prepared for her next to her father, King Reth.”
A quiet sob escaped from behind Damaris’ delicate webbed hands. The Queen Mother’s grief was apparently real, Kiva decided. The outburst was too sincere to be faked.
“Once all the details have been finalized, you will be notified as to how the procession will be arranged,” Iago said.
Probably the same way as last time, when we interred Reth, Kiva suspected. It has only been a year since we put the old king in the coral. We have not forgotten our places that quickly. Each house would be represented in the funeral procession, its order and the size of its contingent dictated by the house’s ranking.
“In the meantime,” Regent Iago stated, his voice steadying further, “I have already instructed the captain of the Palace Guard to begin an investigation into Beryl’s assassination.”
Kiva looked around the Assembly table and imagined that her eyes were as wide as all the other council members. No one had expected Iago to take the initiative to launch an investigation into the queen’s death; it really wasn’t his place to do so.
“So it is unanimous,” Iago said, his voice betraying a tremor of anxiousness, but still remarkably steady given the recent assassination of his wife. The ethyrie rose, his soft iridescent pink hair undulating with the motion.
The newly installed regent’s proclamation brought Kiva out of her labyrinthine musings. Well, of course it is, you dolt, she thought. Anyone who voted against it would have immediately looked like a traitor at best and the assassin at worst. Kiva did not hold much confidence that Iago would sit on the throne for long. His grasp of politics was abysmal and, while the Coral Assembly had voted unanimously to install him as regent, the faera knew that it was simply a method to buy time and keep the plebian populous content while they figured out who was actually going to wear the Fangs.
“As tradition dictates,” Iago said, his words trembling at first but gaining strength, “there will be a mourning period of five days, after which the Coral Assembly will meet again to decide the future of Mervidia’s throne.” Despite being a fully grown merwin, the male ethyrie looked exceptionally young in that moment, eagerness all too apparent in his greedy smile. Iago had been groomed from birth to be consort. Sadly though, he really was too soft to be the one to hold tight the reigns of the mighty beast that was Mervidia.
Poor Iago, Kiva thought. There really is a part of you that thinks you will be crowned, is there not? It was all the faera could do to keep a look of pity off her face.
The regent continued , “Arrangements have already been put in motion for Queen Beryl’s funeral proceedings.” Iago’s voice caught, predictably, at the mention of his dead wife’s name, but he flushed his gills and persisted. “The Queen’s body will be moved, with all honors rightly hers, from the Royal Palace to King’s Reef, where she will be interred with her predecessors, the Kings of Mervidia. A space is already being prepared for her next to her father, King Reth.”
A quiet sob escaped from behind Damaris’ delicate webbed hands. The Queen Mother’s grief was apparently real, Kiva decided. The outburst was too sincere to be faked.
“Once all the details have been finalized, you will be notified as to how the procession will be arranged,” Iago said.
Probably the same way as last time, when we interred Reth, Kiva suspected. It has only been a year since we put the old king in the coral. We have not forgotten our places that quickly. Each house would be represented in the funeral procession, its order and the size of its contingent dictated by the house’s ranking.
“In the meantime,” Regent Iago stated, his voice steadying further, “I have already instructed the captain of the Palace Guard to begin an investigation into Beryl’s assassination.”
Kiva looked around the Assembly table and imagined that her eyes were as wide as all the other council members. No one had expected Iago to take the initiative to launch an investigation into the queen’s death; it really wasn’t his place to do so.
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